Lt. Charles Warner of the Franklin Police gave some tips for avoiding the scam at the time:

“It would have been impossible for a consumer to spot the skimmers recently discovered on the Murfreesboro Road gas pumps. Kudos to the employee who conducted the pump inspections. Had that not been done, the list of victims would have grown tremendously. Pay-at-the-pump customers should consider using a dedicated gas card with low purchasing power/credit limit. The use of debit cards for pay-at-the-pump purchases should be avoided, as those cards are tied to the consumer’s own money and personal accounts. The compromise of a debit card could be far more impactful. Credit accounts should be routinely checked to catch fraudulent purchases early on, allowing consumers to quickly shut down compromised cards – rendering them useless to bad guys.”

He also said to make sure you pay inside, if you have any suspicions.

Paying at the pump with a card is quicker, but if you have a weird feeling, take a few extra minutes to pay inside. To totally eliminate the chance, also, you could simply just always pay with cash.